Public Policy

  • December 15, 2025

    IRS Finalizes Tribal Welfare, Energy Direct Pay Rules

    The IRS finalized a pair of long-awaited tribal regulations Monday governing a taxable income exclusion for welfare benefits and classifying certain tribe-owned entities as tax-exempt to allow them to directly monetize tax credits for clean energy projects.

  • December 15, 2025

    Beyond Nuclear Pushes Justices To Undo Storage License

    The nonprofit seeking to stop the U.S. Department of Energy from contracting out nuclear waste storage hit back at the contractor's bid to keep the case out of the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the contractor's own brief supports the nonprofit's position.

  • December 15, 2025

    Groups Say Texas Food Labeling Law Must Be Blocked

    A group of food industry associations are urging a Texas federal judge to block a section of the state's new Make Texas Healthy Again Act, saying the section is preempted by federal law because it requires them to put false and misleading information on the labels.

  • December 15, 2025

    Fishery Says NY, NJ Wind Project 'Obliterated' Fishing Area

    A Garden State fishery has sued the owner of the Empire Offshore Wind project in New Jersey federal court, alleging that it has "completely and permanently obliterated" the ability to harvest shellfish in the project area and caused it more $25 million in damages.

  • December 15, 2025

    Nix FCC's Public Interest Standard, Free Market Group Says

    Lawmakers need to consider scrapping the longstanding public interest standard rather than seeking to hold broadcasters to a measure from the Communications Act, a free-market think tank argued Monday.

  • December 15, 2025

    Connecticut 'Likely' To Settle Generic Drug Price Cap Dispute

    A pharmaceutical industry trade group and the state of Connecticut have signaled their intent to settle a feud over the interpretation of the state's generic drug price cap law, and a federal judge gave them until Monday to say more about their plan.

  • December 15, 2025

    Ex-US Attys Say Pardons, Loyalty Demands Hurt Rule Of Law

    A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys spoke publicly Monday on their concerns regarding the direction the U.S. justice system has taken since the start of the second Trump administration and the potential risks that may pose to the rule of law.

  • December 15, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery sprawled from a dispute over control of banana plantations along Africa's Congo River to a fight over the late musician Prince's estate last week. Along the way, a court ruling rejected a motion for a quick decision favoring Blue Bell Creameries director and officer calls for liability releases in a tainted ice cream saga that dates to 2015.

  • December 15, 2025

    Judge Won't Boot Bondi-Appointed Prosecutor In LA

    A federal judge has refused to reconsider his ruling disqualifying Bill Essayli from holding the role of U.S. attorney but allowing him to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, finding that Essayli's appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is valid.

  • December 15, 2025

    Fed. Court Asked To Block IRS' Microcaptive Reporting Rule

    A Texas federal court should vacate an IRS rule aimed at flagging potential tax avoidance by requiring companies to disclose information about their microcaptive insurance transactions because it undermines Congress' authority, according to a Texas plastics company and its microcaptive adviser.

  • December 15, 2025

    Texas, Toronto Stock Exchanges End Trademark Dispute

    The Texas Stock Exchange has buried the hatchet with the Toronto Stock Exchange and ended its suit seeking a court finding that the two exchanges' logos are dissimilar. 

  • December 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Wants Alabama High Court's Help On Voting Law

    The Eleventh Circuit balked Monday at ruling on a challenge to Alabama statutes enacted last year which restrict voters from receiving help in applying for an absentee ballot, asking the state's Supreme Court to first try to untangle what it called "not a very clear law."

  • December 15, 2025

    Atty Seeks To Block Law Banning Fee-Sharing With ABS Firms

    The attorney challenging a California law that blocks fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers has petitioned for enforcement of the law to be suspended before it is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

  • December 15, 2025

    DC Judge Blocks ICE Plan To Funnel Teens To Adult Detention

    A D.C. federal judge blocked a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy aimed at transferring people who entered the country as unaccompanied minors into adult immigrant detention centers once they turn 18 and age out of Office of Refugee Resettlement custody.

  • December 15, 2025

    Sen. Tim Scott's Ex-Chief Of Staff Joins Holland & Hart

    Holland & Hart LLP has tapped the former chief of staff for Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., to serve as a senior director of federal affairs in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, according to a Monday announcement.

  • December 15, 2025

    Employee-Related Charges Against Goldstein Are Tossed

    A Maryland federal judge has dismissed several charges against SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein related to employees at his law firm, agreeing that prosecutors had failed to establish a clear rule for determining whether employees are legitimate for tax purposes.

  • December 15, 2025

    PTAB Creates New Prehearing Conference For AIA Reviews

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has rolled out a change to its trial practice guide that will create a new prehearing conference 15 days prior to oral hearings under the America Invents Act in cases implemented by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director.

  • December 15, 2025

    High Court Will Review Racial Bias In Miss. Jury Strikes

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear its second case involving the same Mississippi prosecutor's peremptory strikes of Black prospective jurors in a Black defendant's death penalty case — and the same state judge's approval of those strikes.

  • December 15, 2025

    Court Says Anti-SLAPP Doesn't Shield Facebook Insult Of Atty

    The Massachusetts Appeals Court on Monday ruled that the state's anti-SLAPP law does not cover a Facebook insult hurled at an attorney on a local political page, though the court still held that the lawyer cannot sue over the online slight.

  • December 12, 2025

    1st Circ. OKs Barring Medicaid Planned Parenthood Coverage

    A First Circuit panel on Friday upheld the Trump administration's ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, vacating a lower court's order that would've kept in place Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood clinics in 22 states.

  • December 12, 2025

    Live Nation Consumers Get Class Certified In Antitrust Case

    A California federal judge Friday certified a class of consumers accusing Live Nation of monopolizing the live entertainment industry, rejecting the company's argument that there aren't common issues that predominate over individual ones and adopting a tentative ruling he issued earlier this month.

  • December 12, 2025

    Reddit Fights Australia's Social Media Ban For Kids Under 16

    Global online discussion forum Reddit on Thursday launched a legal challenge to Australia's first-of-its-kind law prohibiting children under 16 from creating accounts on nearly a dozen popular social media platforms, telling the country's top court that the measure illegally restrains minors' political communications and that there are "less restrictive" ways to protect kids online.

  • December 12, 2025

    Fired MSPB Member Urges Full DC Circ. To Rehear Case

    A D.C. Circuit panel based its decision to uphold Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris' firing on a mischaracterization of the agency, Harris argued Friday to the full D.C. Circuit, asking the en banc court to override the decision, bring her back to work and preserve MSPB members' job protections.

  • December 12, 2025

    Texas Justices Broaden Protections For Road Contractors

    The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that contractors doing work superintended by the state Department of Transportation may be able to avoid personal injury liability, reasoning that an appellate panel erroneously found the department had to hire the contractors for the statute's protections to apply.

  • December 12, 2025

    Mich. High Court Backs Rejection Of Farmwork Comp Suit

    A closely divided Michigan Supreme Court on Friday let stand a lower appellate court holding that a nonprofit's legal challenge to a state policy denying workers' compensation pay to unauthorized immigrants was filed too late.

Expert Analysis

  • How Financial Cos. Can Prep As NYDFS Cyber Changes Loom

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    Financial institutions supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services can prepare for two critical cybersecurity requirements relating to multifactor authentication and asset inventories, effective Nov. 1, by conducting gap analyses and allocating resources to high-risk assets, among other steps, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Shutdown May Stall Hearings, But Gov't Probes Quietly Go On

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    Thanks to staff assurances under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, the core work of congressional investigations continues during the shutdown that began Oct. 1 — and so does the investigative work that is performed behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Opinion

    Ending Quarterly Reporting Would Erode Investor Protection

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    President Donald Trump recently called for an end to the long-standing practice of corporate quarterly reporting, but doing so would reduce transparency, create information asymmetries, provide more opportunities for corporate fraud and risk increased stock price volatility, while not meaningfully increasing long-term investments, say attorneys at Bleichmar Fonti.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Strategies For Defending Banks In Elder Abuse Cases

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    Several recent cases demonstrate that banks have plenty of tools to defend against claims they were complicit in financial abuse of older adults, but financial institutions should also continue to educate customers about third-party scams before they happen, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • AG Watch: Va. Race Spotlights Consumer Protection Priorities

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    Ahead of the state's attorney general election, Virginia companies should assess how either candidate's approach could affect their compliance posture, with incumbent Jason Miyares promising a business-friendly atmosphere that prioritizes public safety and challenger Jay Jones pledging to focus on economic justice and corporate accountability, says Chuck Slemp at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Preparing For What DOD Cybersecurity Audits May Uncover

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    Defense contractors seeking certification under the U.S. Department of Defense's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program that begins implementation on Nov. 10 may discover previously unknown violations, but there are steps they can take to address any issues before they come to the attention of enforcement authorities, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • A Look At Project Crypto's Plans For Digital Asset Regulation

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    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins' recent announcement of Project Crypto, an agencywide initiative to modernize federal securities regulations, signals a significant shift toward a more flexible regulatory framework that would shape the future of the U.S. digital asset market, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Breaking Down The Intersection Of Right-Of-Publicity Law, AI

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    Jillian Taylor at Blank Rome examines how existing right-of-publicity law governs artificial intelligence-generated voice-overs, deepfakes and deadbots; highlights a recent New York federal court ruling involving AI-generated voice clones; and offers practical guardrails for using AI without violating the right of publicity.

  • Civil Maritime Nuclear Sector Poised For Growth, Challenges

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    The maritime industry now stands on the verge of a nuclear-powered renaissance, with the need for clean energy, resilient power generation and decarbonized logistics driving demand for commercial maritime nuclear technology — but these developments will raise significant new legal, regulatory and technical questions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

  • H-2A Rule Rollback Sheds Light On 2 Policy Litigation Issues

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    The Trump administration’s recent refusal to defend an immigration regulation implemented by the Biden administration highlights a questionable process that both parties have used to bypass the Administrative Procedure Act’s rulemaking process, and points toward the next step in the fight over universal injunctions, says Mark Stevens at Clark Hill.

  • NY AML Rules Get Crypto Rebrand: What It Means For Banks

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    A recent letter from the New York State Department of Financial Services outlining how banks can use blockchain analytics in anti-money laundering efforts is a reminder that crypto activity is not exempted from banks' role in keeping the financial system safe, says Katherine Lemire at Lankler Siffert.

  • What's At Stake At High Court For Presidential Removal Power

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    Two pending U.S. Supreme Court cases —Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook — raise fundamental questions about the constitutional separation of powers, threaten the 90-year-old precedent of Humphrey's Executor v. U.S. and will determine the president's authority to control independent federal agencies, says Kolya Glick at Arnold & Porter.

  • Using The GHG Protocol For California Climate Reporting

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    With the California Air Resources Board's recent announcement that entities subject to the state's climate disclosure laws can use the Greenhouse Gas Protocol as a standard for structured, auditable reporting, a review of methods, data sources and disclosures under the protocol is timely for compliance planning, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

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